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Liberal democracies such as Britain or the US are based on the principle of popular sovereignty - the government does what the people want them to do. The US Constitution does, after all, begin with the words "We the People of the United States ... do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." The media therefore, especially since the advent of radio, television and the internet, has been the most powerful voice of the people, bending the government to the will of the people and ensuring that they never stray too far from the sovereignty of "We the People." The media must never be trodden on and forced to write what the government wants, because at that point you have (or are nearing) a dictatorship, and very bad things are likely to follow shortly after. The media is really the only way to know what is going on (and wrong, although they always make it seem worse than it is) with the world.

Since the invention of the internet, surpression of the media has become all but impossible in most of the world. Unfortunately Google China was forced to censor material recently, but nevertheless there is no way that it manages to prevent all traffic from getting through - if the Chinese really want to know the truth, they will find it. As the stated aim of 'The Economist', a self-styled "authoritative weekly newspaper", puts it, they were formed to take part in "a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress." This is the importance of the media, and without freedom of speech they cannot achieve it.

However, the media should have a responsibility to provide us with the truth, and the whole truth as well. The media has massive power - it is (apart from Kim Jong-Il) just about the only thing that governments fear. Governments worldwide spend all their time battling the media - the British Prime Minister has an entire office devoted to dealing with them. Unfortunately, not all newspapers are as responsible as the Economist is. When the media lies to sell newspapers you know things are getting dangerous. In 2004 The 'Daily Mirror' (a 'charming' British tabloid newspaper edited by the equally charming Piers Morgan) printed pictures of British soldiers supposedly abusing Iraqi prisoners. They were a hoax, but caused a serious uproar against troops in Iraq that deserved no such treatment.

Newspapers have the power to bring down governments, ignite racial hatred and turn people against each other. And yet they also keep the government on track, point out corruption and show us what is going wrong with the world.

Giving anyone this power is dangerous - there is an awful lot of room for abuse. But the loss of free speech, indeed any infringement on free speech other than to prevent such outrages as the lies propagated by the Daily Mirror, is far, far more serious than trusting the newspapers with the power that they hold.

If people would take the newspapers a bit less seriously, or read 'The Economist' instead of 'The Mirror', then the danger would be considerably lessened. Unfortunately that day has yet to arrive, and so for now we will have to put up with the occasional outrage from ignorant newspapers read by ignorant people, so that we may preserve free speech and the powerful check on governmental power that it provides.

Learn more about this author, Algernon Moncrieff.
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